‘A lot of fear:’ Trump’s deportation proposals are already rattling workers

President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to further restrict immigration and roll out “mass deportations” has not been finalized, but the specter of looming policy changes is already reverberating throughout the US job market.

President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to further restrict immigration and roll out “mass deportations” has not been finalized, but the specter of looming policy changes is already reverberating on Main Streets across America. To veteran restaurateur Sam Sanchez, the effects were plain as day during his visit this week to Chicago’s Little Village, a neighborhood known as the “Mexico of the Midwest.” “Some of the (Little Village) restaurants told me they’re down 50% in sales,” said Sanchez, founder of Chicago-based restaurant and event management company Third Coast Hospitality Group. “People are afraid of walking the streets right now; there’s a lot of fear … a lot of fear,” Sanchez said. “And that’s where it starts. The employees will start getting worried and say, ‘Should I go to work? Should I take a chance?’ The big concern is that restaurants will close without employees, and this is just one industry: There are millions of people working who are undocumented.” There are an estimated 10.5 million undocumented immigrants in the US, according to the Global Migration Center at the University of California-Davis. Of those, about 8.5 million are employed, said Giovanni Peri, an economist and director of UCDavis Global Migration Center. Business owners, industry members and economists alike warn that large-scale deportations of undocumented immigrants, along with stricter border measures and the revoking of Biden-era protections, could have a seismic impact on the labor market and US economy. Critical industries such as agriculture, leisure and hospitality, construction and health care could take some of the largest hits.